Chapter 2 Mankind Outside the Garden
How quickly did man digress? To find a clue all we have to do is look at the next story in the Bible. Adam and Eve had two sons. The first was Cain and the second was Able. Long before God formed Adam in His image, God had a plan. If and when sin entered this planet, God would send His Son to die for man’s sins. Cain and Able were told about that plan. They were told to offer a lamb as a sacrifice. That lamb was a symbol pointing to the sacrifice of God’s Son. That was all rather simple to understand. But Cain, the older brother decided to substitute some fruit and grains. Was that a proper symbol for the sacrifice of God’s Son? No it wasn’t. But Cain was stubborn. He thought he could make a few changes and those changes were as good as God’s original plan. Cain wanted to prove his point. He was so infatuated with his idea, he killed his little brother Able in lieu of admitting he was wrong. In a sense, Cain was a spiritual symbol of modern day science dedicated to destroying God at any cost.
In one generation mankind wanted to change God’s plan of salvation. Mankind wanted to alter God’s plan, come up with a better plan, and forget everything God taught. That is how fast mankind was able to digress.
Was mankind able to do anything with the skills God gave to Adam? I want to point out a few very important passages in Genesis.
And Lamech took unto him two wives: the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah. And Adah bare Jabal: he was the father of such as dwell in tents, and of such as have cattle. And his brother’s name was Jubal: he was the father of all such as handle the harp and organ. And Zillah, she also bare Tubalcain, an instructor of every artificer in brass and iron: and the sister of Tubalcain was Naamah. And Lamech said unto his wives, Adah and Zillah, Hear my voice; ye wives of Lamech, hearken unto my speech: for I have slain a man to my wounding, and a young man to my hurt. If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold. And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew. (Genesis 4:19-25 KJV).
In just a few verses we are shown how Cain’s sons mastered the art of metallurgy, musical instruments, tent making, raising cattle, and murder. What a combination. We are also shown how mankind was given the ability to master arts and the tradition of passing those skills to their sons. Each family specialized in one particular art. Where did they acquire those skills in only seven generations? Science wants us to believe it took thousands or millions of years for mankind to learn those skills. But lets take a look back at one previous verse. And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare Enoch: and he builded a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch. (Genesis 4:17 KJV). Enoch, the second generation from Adam had the skills to build a city. Someone had to teach Enoch how to build houses, streets, warehouses, and maybe walls and gates. We are not given specific details about that city like what materials were used to build houses and other structures. But a lot of planning goes into any city. Enoch must have learned those skills from his father Cain. Cain had to learn those skills from his father Adam. The only one who could have taught Adam was God. In just a few short chapters the Bible confirms that mankind had the ability to build structures and cities. Skills were passed down from one generation to the next. It didn’t take thousands of years for mankind to master simple tools, instruments, and detailed planning.
Many scientists and archaeologist like to claim iron came along well after brass. They all seem to have their own dates when iron showed up on the scene. It seems all of them chose to ignore a few facts in the Bible. What about those musical instruments? What were they made out of? Were those harps and organs made from wood, or a combination of wood and metal? Maybe copper, brass, silver, gold, or other specialized alloys. If they were made from wood, how did they form those instruments into such delicate and precise shapes? What about those tents? What were the tents made from? If they used animal skins, what did they use to skin the animals? If the Bible says a man was a teacher in brass and iron, that would lead us to believe they perfected a number of smelting, casting, and forming techniques for both of those metals. How advanced was man just a few generations after Cain? Was mankind using skills passed down from God to Adam, or was mankind inventing new techniques?
If we know the Bible mentions brass and iron in the same sentence, why do we allow scientists to tell people, “iron came generations after brass?” Why do we allow scientists to tell people the Egyptians only had brass tools to work on the pyramids and other projects? What are scientists afraid of? If they admit iron existed long before the flood, are they admitting God does exist? Talk about a cover up.
We also know that men lived for nearly a thousand years before the flood. And Seth lived an hundred and five years, and begat Enos: And Seth lived after he begat Enos eight hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters: And all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years: and he died. And Enos lived ninety years, and begat Cainan: And Enos lived after he begat Cainan eight hundred and fifteen years, and begat sons and daughters: And all the days of Enos were nine hundred and five years: and he died. (Genesis 5:6-11 KJV).
If people had brass, iron, musical instruments, and other tools to build cities in the third and forth generation, what could they develop in thousand years? What would you do with all that time on your hands? The industrial revolution began in basically 1900. I like using round figures. By that time we had ships to sail the oceans, guns to keep people under control, and a handful of other inventions. The automobile was just getting its start, Airplanes were in their infant stage. Electricity and communication were hot topics. Between 1900 and 2000 man added rockets, went to the moon, developed jet airplanes, broke the sound barrier, created and used the atomic bomb, and the world seemed to perfect, of all things, war and killing. It seems we have not advanced past Lamech’s mentality. On the other hand, the computer and cell phone were also developed. Was that a good thing?
In 100 years mankind took giant strides. That was in a time when the average lifespan was about 70 years. That left investors and scientists about 50 years to learn from the past and develop new inventions for the future. Now multiply that time by ten. What was the lifespan before the flood? People lived to the ripe old age of 700 or more. What did they do with all that time? What was mankind able to develop before the flood? Let’s first take a quick look at another story in the Bible that explains why the earth was destroyed.
And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years. There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown. And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them. (Genesis 6:1-7 KJV).
There is a lot to digest in just a few sentences. We will take one at a time. God looked down on this planet He created and didn’t like what was going on. Mankind used the skills handed down from one generation to the next to gain an advantage over other families or tribes that they were actually related to. Men could not get along. Cain’s way of handling a problem appeared to overwhelm all of his descendants. It seemed to be in their genes. God was faced with a decision. God could either wait for the world to destroy itself, or He could destroy most of it and start over.
There seems to be a common belief among many Christian denominations that God will one day step in to destroy the world a second time just before mankind wipes it out in a great war. That brings up the old saying, “History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new. (Ecclesiastes 1:9 NLTse). A popular point of debate is centered around the term, “sons of God saw the daughters of men.” Some people are convinced that term refers to angels coming to this planet to mate with humans. Are there any facts to back up that claim? If we looked at the term, “sons of God,” we would see a few verses where Heavenly beings are referred to as, “sons of God.”
Job_1:6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them.
Job_2:1 Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the LORD.
There are only a few verses that mention Heavenly beings as God’s sons. The only book in the Bible that recorded that was Job. On the other hand, there is more than a handful of verses that call men, God’s sons.
Hosea 1:10 RSVA Yet the number of the people of Israel shall be like the sand of the sea, which can be neither measured nor numbered; and in the place where it was said to them, “You are not my people,” it shall be said to them, “Sons of the living God.”
John 1:11-13 RSVA He came to his own home, and his own people received him not. (12) But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God; (13) who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
Romans 8:14 RSVA For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.
Galatians 4:6 RSVA And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”
1 John 3:1-2 RSVA See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. (2) Beloved, we are God’s children now; it does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.
We can either base your decision on a few verses or investigate the question on the sons of God a little deeper. What other stories help explain the issue? One aspect to look at is the continual list of warnings Israel was given. God told Israel not to marry Pagan women. Otherwise they would run the risk of accepting false worship, gods, and idols.
You must worship no other gods, for the LORD, whose very name is Jealous, is a God who is jealous about his relationship with you. “You must not make a treaty of any kind with the people living in the land. They lust after their gods, offering sacrifices to them. They will invite you to join them in their sacrificial meals, and you will go with them. Then you will accept their daughters, who sacrifice to other gods, as wives for your sons. And they will seduce your sons to commit adultery against me by worshiping other gods. (Exodus 34:14-16 NLTse).
When God ties that warning to a command, we have reason to pay attention. The question is, is that warning about intermarriages directly related to the sons of heaven and daughters of men in Genesis chapter 6? Looking back a few chapters we see two distinct directions mankind took. Cain who killed his brother raised a clan going one way. Later Adam and Eve had another son, Seth. Seth’s generations were much closer to God than Cain’s descendants. The end of Genesis chapter 4 summed up that division.
Lamech said to his wives: “Adah and Zillah, hear my voice; you wives of Lamech, hearken to what I say: I have slain a man for wounding me, a young man for striking me. If Cain is avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy-sevenfold.” And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and called his name Seth, for she said, “God has appointed for me another child instead of Abel, for Cain slew him.” To Seth also a son was born, and he called his name Enosh. At that time men began to call upon the name of the LORD. (Genesis 4:23-26 RSVA).
Genesis chapter 5 contains a list of Seth’s sons and explains how closely some followed God. Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him. (Genesis 5:24 RSVA). Other stories in the Bible show the results of marrying outside family descendants who didn’t follow God.
So the people of Israel lived among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, and they intermarried with them. Israelite sons married their daughters, and Israelite daughters were given in marriage to their sons. And the Israelites served their gods. The Israelites did evil in the LORD’s sight. They forgot about the LORD their God, and they served the images of Baal and the Asherah poles. (Judges 3:5-7 NLTse).
The list goes on and on. Now to make a decision. Did God warn Seth’s descendants to stay away from Cain’s descendants? Was this warning summed up with the terms, “sons of God,” and “daughters of men?”
When we examine the Bible for proof we have to keep in mind, the story we are reading was written in one language in a totally different generation. Common sayings, cliches, and words had quite different meanings. We also have to be careful. The basic meaning of many words has been changed over the years to support one belief or another about some Bible passages. Is that the case with those sons of God found in Genesis chapter 6? What about those giants the debate is centered on? Let’s look at the original Hebrew meaning for the word someone translated as giant in the KJV.
GIANT
H5303
נפל נפיל
nephı̂yl nephil
nef-eel’, nef-eel’
From H5307; properly, a feller, that is, a bully or tyrant: – giant.
When we look at the original Hebrew meaning, the Hebrew word nephil had nothing to do with giants. Nephil was used to define a bully or tyrant. Someone decided to substitute the English word bully with giant. Giant is nothing more than an English substitute for the Hebrew word nephil that means bully. Some people clung onto that idea of giants so hard, they came up with a new version of the Bible and created a new word to go along with that new concept. The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men that were of old, the men of renown. (Genesis 6:4 RSVA).
The word Nephilim is only found in a small number of Bibles. And only found in two verses in those transactions. It seems someone decided to take a few sentences out of one story in the Bible and create a new race. That new race required legends and stories. Legends and stories not found in the Bible. To be perfectly fair, we have to look at the root word used to make the word nephil.
H5307
נפל
nâphal
naw-fal’
A primitive root; to fall, in a great variety of applications (intransitively or causatively, literally or figuratively): – be accepted, cast (down, self, [lots], out), cease, die, divide (by lot), (let) fail, (cause to, let, make, ready to) fall (away, down, -en, -ing), fell (-ing), fugitive, have [inheritamce], inferior, be judged [by mistake for H6419], lay (along), (cause to) lie down, light (down), be (X hast) lost, lying, overthrow, overwhelm, perish, present (-ed, -ing), (make to) rot, slay, smite out, X surely, throw down.
Now that we have the exact meaning for the word nephil, we can take a fresh look at that story and see what Moses was talking about when he recorded it. The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men that were of old, the men of renown. (Genesis 6:4 RSVA). Moses didn’t record a story about giants roaming the earth. Moses used a Hebrew word to show how bullies wandered the earth. Were they giants? There have been dozens of large skeletons unearthed all over the world. Were they pre or post flood skeletons? There is no doubt they are old skeletons. There is no doubt giants roamed the earth after the flood. David and his men killed a number of giants. Other stories written by Moses and found in Joshua describe giants. I may be wrong but, giants always seem to be associated with Pagans, false gods, and other races who opposed God.
Another question that comes up is, are angels able to breed with humans? Some people like to say Jesus answered that question. “For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.” (Mark 12:25 RSVA). Some people may debate this. But in the Bible there is one word for marriage, knew.
The Bible doesn’t contain any ceremony for marriage outside its use of the word knew. And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD. (Genesis 4:1 KJV). Although the word knew does not define a sexual relationship, the context in the sentence points to only one thing. Conceived and bare do have a direct connect to a sexual relationship. The Bible offers no evidence of angels having any such physical contact with women. The Bible contains only one story that has both an angel and a physical encounter with a woman.
In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Hail, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered in her mind what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there will be no end.” And Mary said to the angel, “How shall this be, since I have no husband?” And the angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. (Luke 1:26-35 RSVA).
When we take a close look at this story we can’t help but see, Gabriel delivered a message. The power of the Most High created a baby. The power of creation remained with God.
One of the main reasons God destroyed the earth was to reduce the number of years man would be allowed to live. This is direct evidence showing how mankind digressed over the years. The minds of men drifted over to sin. They were controlled by sin. Men from Cain’s descendants turned their hearts to sin until it consumed them. Men and women intermarried Both sides, the descendants of Cain and Seth began to decline and drift away from God. Does sin lead to the advancement of mankind or its fall? That point may be debatable. Let’s face it, some of the greatest inventions in our generation are linked and credited to wartime developments.
Living shorter periods of time didn’t really hold sin in check. It did limit the amount of information passed along from one generation to the next. We will never know what kind of technology Noah and his sons brought over on the ark. We can only imagine. To get a general idea, we can look at what it would have taken to build such a boat, and what that boat had to survive.